- Legislation
- H 2722
- Status
- Defeated
- Defeated On
- January 2021
- Type(s)
- Anti-boycott, State Contracts
- Full Text
- Read H 2722
This anti-boycott bill prohibits state contracts with entities that adopt and apply boycotts in a discriminatory manner. The bill amends Massachusetts’ debarment law in order to penalize contractors that adopt “policies against any sovereign nation or peoples recognized by the government of the United States which are used to discriminate in violation of any state or federal law prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations or employment.” Debarred companies are prohibited from contracting with the state for a prescribed period of time. Boycotts for Palestinian rights based on an entity’s complicity in Israel’s violations do not discriminate against a protected class and thus fall outside the scope of the bill. However, the lawmakers who put forward these bills have stated their intent to exclude individuals and companies engaged in boycotts for Palestinian rights from state contracts.